


The Jewel of Ba Sing Se

by YasmeenRashid



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Awkward Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, First Love, Hate to Love, Romance, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-08 20:29:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12872412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YasmeenRashid/pseuds/YasmeenRashid
Summary: The story details the budding romance between Zuko and Zhen, who hails from a regal life of splendour much like Zuko's back in the Fire Nation. And much like his, there is dark unrest in her seemingly privileged life. The timeline is set during the Gaang's month-long misadventures in Ba Sing Se while waiting for the Earth King as Zuko and Iroh adjust to being refugees.I have already posted this on Fanfiction.net under the same title but unfortunately my country has banned the website.Reviews warmly welcomed! Any constructive criticism is much appreciated.





	1. Prologue

There were countless things that could and were most definitely and undoubtedly being said about Zhen. It was hard not to be the talk of the town when you were the sole heir to your vast family fortune and in line with such an inheritance, she of course accordingly took residence in the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se along with all the other most elite members of the city, the cream of the crop.

However, because of the overflowing wealth under her family name, it was inevitable and only a matter of time that her scheming, manipulative, dear old Aunt Ying would claw her way into the picture, putting her perfectly manicured tips to good use. And in the blink of an eye, she began living off of her orphaned niece since the latter was at the tender age of six.

From an outsider’s point of view, it would seem as though Ying taking Zhen under her wing was probably the best fate that could possibly befall the child, especially after the lost of her parents so long ago. And that was exactly what people went around thinking. Ever since Ying became responsible for Zhen’s upbringing, lending her the role of the young girl’s legal guardian, the most lucrative part she had ever been given in her entire career as a washed up actress, never before did Zhen have nicer, more extravagant clothing on her back and that was the least of it.

Zhen’s late parents had always tried to pass on the teachings of living life in moderation, despite their wealth being able to sustain not only of the three of them, but also including Zhen’s great-great grandchildren, should she ever extend their family tree one day. 

Unlike most of the other socialites, their family didn’t come from old money, passed down from generation to generation for the entire, extended family to enjoy, transcending time and immediate relation. Zhen’s parents had to work their way up from scratch to build their empire and in doing so, they made a name for themselves, climbed up the social ladder and sealed Zhen’s future with a life of financial stability, something they unfortunately weren’t privileged enough to grow up with. This was the reasoning behind their frugality, an attribute that better suited those from the Middle Ring or those at the bottom of the social class, who spent their days in the rundown buildings or the desolate streets of the Lower Ring. 

Because of this, Zhen was unfamiliar with the lifestyle that Aunt Ying brought unto their household. Gone were the modest clothing she was accustomed to, along with the simple meals and their humble family home. In their place were expensive robes made of the finest imported silk, lavish meals that seemed more like banquets and a private estate complete with a staff of servants and guards always at their beck and call. 

Zhen’s life was never the same again.


	2. The Fated Meeting

“Lost your way old man?” The youth taunted Iroh, signaling the rest of his gang of haughty, upper class friends to surround him with the subtle movement of his head.

They assumed their positions, encircling their latest prey. There were five of them in total; Iroh was outnumbered by one to five, though it did not affect him in the slightest. He did not feel so much as a twinge of fear however, taking account of their horrible stances and impish sneers as well as the time they horrendously spent delivering empty threats instead of actually executing them.

“I’m trying to finding my way home. Would any of you kids happen to know the way back to the Lower Ring?” Iroh asked them, his usual kind tone coming into play.

The youth then curled his lips into a smirk, glancing at all his friends, exchanging meaningful looks with one another before his eyes landed back onto Iroh. His demeanor then automatically traded in for a look of contempt.

“Hard of hearing are we? I suppose you leave me no choice but to repeat myself.” He sauntered towards the older man, stooping to his height, keeping a self-satisfied smile plastered on his face.

“Do you know what we do to Lower Ring scum like you?” He questioned, whilst smoothing out the invisible wrinkles on Iroh’s clothes.

Iroh said nothing and kept his expression welcoming and compassionate despite their uncalled for and very much so misplaced act of rebellion done in the name of discrimination and prejudice disguised as ‘means to becoming a man.’

“We’d splatter you all over the walls if it weren’t for the obvious fact we wouldn’t want your pathetic, filthy remains staining them,” one of the other youths remarked, getting pats on the back from the rest as soon as the insult flew out of his mouth.

They snickered amongst themselves, feeling like impressive, legitimate threats. Iroh looked around and saw nothing more than a group of young men, not much older than his own nephew, prancing around thinking they had any kind of authority because of their parents’ wealth and stature. It reminded him of his old mission days way back when he was a respected general, asserting his position by trying to conquer the very same city he was taking refuge in now.

Before he could delve deeper into how ironically poetic his current living situation was, the youth straightening his rags earlier opted for snapping his fingers disinterestedly under his nose to get the former out of his reverie.

“Qi, Ru-you know what to do." The young man stepped aside as his friends assumed their rehearsed positions and proceeded to take a hold of both of Iroh’s arms.

“This won’t be necessary,” Iroh said, chuckling out out of amusement, hoping to inject some levity into the situation. 

“Where am I going to run?” he pointed out, gesturing to the unfamiliar surroundings of the Upper Ring. How he mistook it for the Lower Ring in the first place he had no idea.

The fact that the roofs were a rich shade of yellow should have been a clear enough sign. They were a far cry from the drab brown roofs that the Lower Ring was associated with. If only he’d realize that sooner before this consequential encounter. 

“I know better than to take a lowlife’s word for it. Yan, Sun-empty his pockets.”  


The only nameless youth then ordered his two remaining friends who weren’t occupied to pickpocket Iroh who didn’t even have much on him to begin with.

They managed to fish out a few bronze pieces and a stack of Pao Family Tea House coupons and handed it over to their leader. He eyed them with slight interest, pieces in one hand and coupons in the other.

“You boys are welcome to the tea house that my nephew and I have established. Take a coupon each, I insist.” 

Iroh’s tone was persistent, his line of thinking being that if these boys dropped by the tea house some time, perhaps he’d be able to teach them a thing or two about pickpocketing more effectively while also showing them other means of earning money, more honest and less illegal means so that in the end they could choose their own path for themselves and in the process, perhaps even befriend his nephew.

After all, Zuko had yet to engage in a proper conversation with boys his own age upon their arrival here.

The boys turned to one another, trying to stifle their condescending sniggering to no avail. They weren’t even trying all too hard to hide their pompousness to begin with and likely felt it unnecessary to put up any semblance of empathy now.

The nameless leader continued to exude his boldness and obvious distaste towards Iroh and everything linked to the Lower Ring by flinging his coupons and pieces at his unsuspecting face. The pieces clattered to the floor upon contact and the coupons tapered away at every direction, creating a huge mess of litter around them. 

He then rolled up his sleeves, balled up his fist, ready to knock Iroh lights out.

His friends chorused in incoherent chants of encouragement. Iroh’s face held no expression whatsoever and although he was restrained, the cogs and wheels in his mind whirred as he thought up of a counter attack to defend himself.

Just as the boy's fist was a mere few inches away from delivering a princess cut to Iroh’s jaw, a girl’s voice halted the scene from hitting its climax.

“Step away from him, Shan,” she warned, moving closer toward the troublemaking boys along with a burly, broad-shouldered man falling into step next to her. 

Qi and Ru who had been holding on to Iroh with no intention of letting him go at first, immediately did exactly that and took off with their tails between their legs, shoving one another out of each other’s way, trying to put as much distance as they could between themselves and the huge spectacle of a man.

Iroh couldn’t help but crack a smile at the sight as he massaged his arms to relieve the slight pain in his joints from being held off for so long.

The big man let out a boom of laughter, very much entertained as well, shaking up both Yan and Sun to a point where they cowered behind whom Iroh now recognized as Shan.

He on the other hand, stood his ground, glaring daggers at the interference that came in the form of a young, decoratively beautiful girl that on any given day, on any other given occasion, would not pose such a threat but would most likely even be the type of girl that Shan and his friends would fawn over.

She was fairly tan, with a pair of big, upturned eyes defined with perfectly drawn cat liner as well as dark, chocolate brown hair, piled up in a bun on her head, adorned with an intricate headpiece holding a while lily at the center. Her hair continued to flow down, loose behind her back, past her shoulders. 

The girl's robe glistened in different shades of green that tied the whole look together, making her appear all the more celestial.

“I suggest you and your friends follow suit of the example that Qi and Ru have set," she said, her words dripping with unmistakable warning.

"They obviously valued their safety more than their egos.” The girl crossed her arms so that her body language matched the displeased look her face held.

Yan and Sun whipped their heads towards Shan who stood in between them, showcasing a dissatisfied and defeated expression. However, he quickly fixed his posture to seem high and mighty again, with his nose held up high as he gestured for his two remaining friends to follow after him.

“This senile old man is lucky to have the Jewel of Ba Sing Se on his side,” he announced, spitting out the title foreign to Iroh venomously, but to no one in particular as he turned to leave the scene of the almost-carried-out-crime.

“Come on guys, let’s go recruit some new, egotistical members to replace the ones that were emasculated of their manhood,” Shan said, barking out a laugh to express his contentment with having the last word.

They sarcastically excuse their presence by addressing their girl as ‘Your Highness’ and doing over the top bows until the big man stomped his foot and told them to take off with his deep, guttural voice. They sped away instantaneously at such a speed that Iroh might have even detected huge specks of dust in their trail.

Iroh couldn’t help but let out an elated burst of laughter as he put both hands to his hips in celebration of his unexpected rescue. 

“I’m glad that they didn’t seem to inflict any serious damage on you.”

The girl let out an airy laugh herself as she gently tapped on his shoulder, willing him to turn and receive the coupons and pieces she had recollected off of the cobblestone floor.

He bowed in respect before even reaching out to claim what she was offering.

“Oh, please. You don’t have to do that. Those boys were only joking around. I can’t be considered royalty at all therefore my presence hardly warrants a bow,” she explained hastily.

The mysterious girl let out a fit of giggles, sincerely flattered that Iroh would even contemplate the idea that she had any kind of royal blood coursing through her veins.

He rose to his original stance again, fell victim to her contagious smile and gratifyingly accepted the offering she presented in her small, mitten like hands. 

“Nevertheless, I am grateful that you came to my rescue miss.” He bowed once more before the girl could stop him. When he stood up again, he placed two coupons in her palm.

“It would be a great honor if you could come down to the tea house some time,"Iroh admitted,nothing but sheer sincerity embedded in his words. 

"I would love to repay the favour by treating you and your friend here to a cup of my smooth, enriching tea. It’s the least I can do after what you two have helped me through today,” he continued, his eyes flitting between the girl and her big-boned friend expectantly.

They looked at each other before turning back to him and nodded rigorously in agreement and delight. 

He put his hands together, overjoyed by their reactions and felt the need to make his way home that instant to prepare the finest china and save the two best seats in the house.

“You know, it’s actually kind of funny how you could possibly get lost here sir.”

Iroh whipped his head at the girl’s general direction as soon as he heard she had more to say.

“Oh? And why is that? If I may ask,” Iroh asked curiously, a pensive look residing on his features as he stroked his chin, deep in thought. Iroh had a knack for solving games, it was a well-known fact that he was the best Pai Sho player in the whole of the Fire Nation. 

So, seeing that this girl was bringing up a bottling fact that he couldn’t put quite put his finger on, it simply puzzled and even mildly frustrated him. 

“It’s just that, if I do remember correctly." She paused, articulating her next words wisely. 

"Those from the outside of the Upper and Middle Ring need passports to get around the city. How in the world did you venture off all the way here with nothing but a few coupons and pieces in your possession?” she asked finally, including a great deal of tact in her choice of words and caution in the way she chose to deliver them.

The girl laughed slightly, looking over to her large friend, seeing that he was trying to put the pieces together as well.

“No one can get in the way of fate miss. Consider my meeting you two today a serendipitous event.”  


A knowing smile blossomed on Iroh’s lips. He casted a glance up at the sunset dipped sky with rays of orange, red and yellow playing full effect, indicative of how late he was.

“I hope to see you again!” 

He waved goodbye as he traced his steps backwards, back to the Ba Sing Se Monorail not too far away from where they were. He quickened his pace so that he wouldn’t miss the last monorail leaving for the Lower Ring.

The girl watched him leave and try to slip past the conductor and luckily enough, by some miracle, he successfully did. The conductor, to Iroh's benefit,was all too preoccupied with helping a family of ten, completely engaged in boarding the children and luggage alike onto the monorail.

She watched the monorail till the earthbenders finally bended it out of sight and into the interconnecting tunnels.

“Come along Tai, it’s getting late. Time for me to face the music.”


	3. Diamond in the Rough

Zhen arrived at the gates of her bungalow, gravely looking on at the peacock-swan emblem connecting the two gates together. She was well aware that when the gates parted, there would be nothing but trouble specially reserved for her for reaching home long past dusk. 

Even at a fair distance from the front doors, she recognized the silhouetted figure standing in the doorway instantly. 

Her reluctant steps forward gradually revealed the imposing presence of Aunt Ying, tight-lipped and with one arm slung across the other as her long fingernails tapped her left forearm impatiently. 

“My sincerest apologies, Aunt Ying,” Zhen apologized, groveling at her aunt’s feet. 

Her head hung low so that her eyes wouldn’t see anything but the colourful mosaic steps leading into the house and the tip of Aunt Ying’s silken slippers. She could already feel her aunt’s glare searing a hole onto the back of her head as the older woman took in the sight of her tardy niece. 

A drop of cold sweat trickled down Zhen’s temple as she waited in apprehension and silence for what awaited her unusual belatedness in returning home. 

She flinched in pain when her aunt grabbed her by the ear and dragged her into the house, leaving Tai with no choice but to wait outside as usual. 

The last Zhen saw of him were his downcast eyes. 

Aunt Ying led her frightened niece into the hall, where Zhen avoided meeting the eyes of the servants stationed at every corner of the room and was grateful that they themselves couldn’t bear to look at her. 

They instead resorted to their dusting and arranging of paintings and furniture without so much as giving her a sideways glance as if their lives depended on it. 

Zhen and her aunt pressed on, making their way past the kitchen where even their cook, Mr. Han averted his gaze from her out of sympathy. He continued preparing dinner with the deafening clash of pots and pans, trying to drown out the noises of what was to come. 

The deeper they ventured into house, the deeper Aunt Ying sunk her nails into Zhen’s flesh. It was as if she was afraid that the girl would try to lose her in the many, expansive rooms that they would walk past, all bearing cold, sterile walls and obscure lighting that she could easily take shelter in. 

Not that Zhen would even consider it. Her own room, albeit bathed in the same atmosphere, was at the very least further down enough to make sure they were out the servants’ earshots. 

Aunt Ying only ever so slightly loosened the crushing grip on Zhen to allow the young girl to lock her door. Skeletal hands discarded her much like a pile of scraps, tossed away so as to fittingly restore her rightful place on the floor. 

Zhen attempted to cushion the fall by landing on her soft palms. The tremor inhabiting the muscles of her sore limbs threatened to pull her further down but she resisted to make sure her efforts would not be in vain. 

“I’m deeply sorry, Aunt Ying. I promise I won’t be late ever again. You have my word,” Zhen vowed, making her way towards her aunt, sliding her knees against the floorboards to get to her dressing table where Aunt Ying was seated. 

She took notice then that her aunt was paying her no mind and was instead transfixed by her own reflection in the mirror. 

“Oh darling, it’s such a pity really.” She sighed melodramatically, undoing her hair as she removed the long, gold rod that acted as a centerpiece to her headdress. 

To anyone else, it appeared as nothing more than an exorbitant accessory. 

But Zhen knew better.

She had become all too acquainted with the sight of it. And was even more familiar with its bone-chilling touch. 

“It’s been almost two weeks since your last mistake,” Aunt Ying said, the last word delivered through a disingenuous pout. 

Slender fingers ran through her hair as it pooled down on her shoulders, a waterfall of ebony with numerous grey streaks that made up about a quarter of her head. 

She then lifted herself off of the stool facing the dresser, carrying the gold rod along with her and awarded Zhen with her undivided attention.

Zhen looked up at her aunt as she towered over her, shrouding the young girl in shadow. 

“I must admit, sweetheart, I expected your streak to last longer than this. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve mistakenly assumed that you actually like putting me in this position.” 

Aunt Ying crouched down to be eye-level with her niece, propping her chin up so that she could get a good look at the terror lurking behind the young girl's emerald green eyes.

They were Zhen’s most treasured inheritances from her late father, whose eyes would hold the same amount of dread if he could see the state his only daughter was in now. 

Zhen’s expression was crestfallen as she instinctively peeled off her robes, revealing her small-framed figure, enveloped in a short-sleeved white slip she had on underneath; along her arms and legs were copious amounts of harsh, hideous bruises that varied in size and colour but all bearing the same, distinct indentation from the gold rod Aunt Ying was known to wield. 

“I have brought this all upon myself. I deserve what’s coming to me for this atrocious wrongdoing, truly.”

Zhen knew for a fact that the more she apologized, the less severe her punishment would be, especially if she included how much at fault she was despite not feeling the least bit of remorse, knowing full well that her tardiness was justified with the help she offered to the old man from earlier that day. 

“That may be so,” Aunt Ying mused, to which Zhen muttered a small prayer of gratitude under her breath. 

“However, I don’t think you fully comprehend the foolishness of your actions today, dear,” she hissed with feigned concern, enunciating the pet name with all too much saccharine. 

Zhen’s eyes widened in despair as she felt Aunt Ying forcefully will her to present her bare back as she poised herself to strike a blow against it, a spot on her body that had never been harmed thus far. 

She felt all the hairs on the back of her neck stand on one side, all of which anticipate the surface of the rod to achingly collide with the small of her flawless back. 

“You could easily have fallen prey to plausible threats of the night, like thieves!” 

She swung the rod closer to Zhen, keeping it inches away from a bead of sweat that began to slide down her back from the increasing slickness of her bronze skin. 

The young girl clutched the cracks between the floorboards,bracing herself for the sudden impact that failed to come. 

The older woman wound up the rod, bringing it back close to her own person. With one hand on her hip and another resting the rod on her shoulder, a malicious grin appeared on her plump red lips. 

“Muggers!” she exclaimed with thinly veiled pleasure seeping into her sing song voice. She brought down the rod a second time, barely missing her target.

“Bandits!” she continued in the same shrill, unhinged tone.

It was at that moment that Aunt Ying flung the rod against Zhen’s back, sending a sharp pain up her spine that caused her to fall forward once more, this time face first onto the floorboards. 

There was an incessant ringing in her ears, completely blocking out the piercing thud of the rod making contact with her back, effectively earning a yelp and causing Zhen to spit up on herself. 

Her vision was hazy as she meekly tilted her head upwards to see a blurred version of Aunt Ying. She planted her gaze firmly on the older woman, even when she couldn’t exactly pinpoint which one to stare at. 

Her focus was fixated on white teeth, outlined by red stained lips. The sickening, psychedelic images of her aunt all grinned down at her, barely containing their sadistic delight at Zhen’s torment, the dirty work of perfectly manicured hands.

“They could have had enough common sense in their half-witted brains to use you as a means of getting so much as a sight of one gold piece of the family fortune,” she remarked, the paranoia becoming an infestation she intended to get rid of as she grappled with her dishevelled appearance to compose herself. 

Zhen had been beaten to the point of losing her breath at a more rapid speed than she could inhale to make up for it. The rise and fall of her chest were irregular and initially occurred at a pace much too hasty for any significant, life-sustaining amount of oxygen could be taken in. 

Her breathing was much too panicked and came up in short, ragged breaths which did little if not nothing at all to help her.

She curled up onto her side, wincing in pain as she blinked several times, trying to expel the black spots that clouded her vision.

Zhen vaguely picked up on the sound of the door slamming shut followed by the routine scurrying of the servants, desperate to tend to her fresh wounds, already vividly clear in her imagination. 

She tried to regulate her breathing, taking in deep, continuous breaths.

Breathe. Just concentrate on breathing.

Zhen repeated that in her head over and over once she managed to get a grip on her own thoughts after they were done spiralling out of control. Tears streamed down her face, an outlet of her loneliness, as the physical pain dulled into an afterthought. 

She had no one she could turn to, no one else that knew of the cruel reality behind the closed gates of her bungalow that seemed like a utopia for those on the outside, looking in.

The whole household knew of course, the guards, the servants, even Zhen’s trusty bodyguard Tai. But they could do nothing more than give looks of sympathy and treat Zhen’s bruises when Aunt Ying was done stamping her lessons onto her unfortunate niece. 

No one dared to report the domestic violence that was going on right under their noses, least of all Zhen who alone suffered the backlash of her aunt’s rage.

The entire household had to stay employed one way or another to make an honest living for not only themselves but also their families who were mostly impoverished and far from being well-fed.

Another recurring reason that surfaced every time anyone got any ideas about finally standing up to Aunt Ying would be her deep, unimaginable connections with the Dai Li.

If one wished to stay employed and out of the entanglements of the Dai Li, one should never defy Aunt Ying. And living up to her reputation, no one even dared to fathom such a thought. 

Zhen sat up slowly, carefully leaning back against the wall facing the door. She wiped away at her tears, wanting to dispose of them as quickly and as effortlessly as they had appeared. 

She scrambled to get back onto her balls of her feet, struggling to grab hold of the clothes she had taken off earlier. Her hands feebly swiped at the cloth, hoping to get a good grip on them, when a couple of coupons materialized out of the pile. 

Zhen summed up every ounce of energy she could manage and triumphantly grabbed the coupons that were in no way at all at the end of a great distance but were really just within an arm’s reach. She took pride in her small success, feeling it to be earned especially after being put through the traumatic experience that Aunt Ying had so generously catered to.

She weighed the coupons in her hands, eventually got dressed once again and earthbended a corner of her wall down to escape into the night.


End file.
